Mercerville Firehouse seeks public support for new building in December special election

HAMILTON — The Mercerville Firehouse is seeking public support to help approve a $7.55 million bond referendum that would finance the construction of a new fire station.

On Dec. 2, there will be a presentation preparing for a Dec. 7 Special Election in Hamilton. According to a release, Fire commissioners, architects and community stakeholders will be on hand to introduce plans for a proposed 24,000-square-foot facility replacement and to lead a tour through the structure that currently supports one of the township’s most active public safety operations.

“Don’t let the exterior cosmetic fixes fool you,” said Fairfax in the release, “We are in dire need of a new facility and looking to take a proactive stance rather than reactive one. Let’s not wait for our equipment to fail, our roof to cave in or worse yet, to lose a life before we decide this is an undertaking worthy of our investment.”

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Rob Manns, AIA Principal Architect at Manns Woodward Studios, conducted an investigation of the building and what improvements were needed.

“It appears as if the current facility has been significantly re-purposed on at least three separate occasions. The original core and oldest portion of the station appears to have been constructed circa 1918. In the 1950’s, additional apparatus bays were constructed to accommodate the increased size in equipment and community demand. At this time the original 1918 structure was re-purposed into a banquet facility. 30 years later, during the early 1980’s the department added a 7,400 SF pre-engineered apparatus bay. In 2004, as the department began to provide 24/7 career service the station underwent renovations which transformed the 1918 portion of the building from a banquet facility into offices, bunk rooms, kitchen, dayroom and other similar uses,” Manns wrote in a letter to Firehouse Commissioner Scott Fairfax.

“It should also be noted that the main spaces were constructed prior to the adaptation of modern building codes. By modern standards, these facilities were constructed without appropriate seismic, wind and snow load reinforcing. The lives of the citizens in your community depend on your ability to service them under the most trying of circumstances. As such, current building codes require fire stations and similar public safety facilities to be engineered to be the “last building standing.” History has shown that failure to meet this standard can have devastating consequences for both the station and community,” Manns said.

With voter support, the sweeping measure would allow for the staged demolition of the existing 2711 Nottingham Way building and advance the construction of a greener, state-of-the-art replacement.

The architectural team identified several issues at the station, such as “bays that cannot accommodate the expanding fleet of large-scale apparatus and equipment, and a building incapable of facilitating proper storage and maintenance for technologies.”

The investigation estimated that sufficient improvements would cost $7 million, take up to two years to complete and extend the life of the firehouse by around two decades. On the other hand, a facility rebuild would span a maximum of 18 months, and at a near equal expense, extend the fire houses’ viability by another 40 years.

“These are the men and women who support our community, day in and day out,” said Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo, “Now it is our turn to support them as I do, and we start with giving them the proper tools to do their job to the best of their ability.”

Monday’s presentation, “Mercerville Fire Company: Preparing for the Next Hundred Years” is open to the public and will begin at the Mercerville Nottingham Way fire station at 7 p.m.

The Fire District No. 2 Special Election will be held at the same location Dec. 7, with polls open between 2 and 9 p.m.

About the Author

Megan Goldschmidt is the Hamilton, Princeton, and Robbinsville beat reporter for the Trentonian. She recently launched her career in the journalism industry after graduating from Ithaca College, and enjoys learning about different areas and industries with every new story she writes. Reach the author at mgoldschmidt@trentonian.com
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